Working with the new government

We are all committed to raising the voice of the housing sector and creating new homes and thriving communities and we believe that the solutions to today’s housing crisis lie in innovative partnerships, sustainable practices, and inclusive policies.

 

Together, we can build a future where high-quality, accessible, and affordable housing is a reality for all.

 

Here’s a snapshot of what happened across the 3 days...

 

At the Labour conference fringe event, Housing Minister Mathew Pennycook emphasized that the UK housing sector is overly dependent on a limited number of large housebuilders. He highlighted the need for greater involvement from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in housebuilding and pledged to promote diversification within the industry.

 

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On the Monday morning, Inside Housing, in partnership with Weightmans hosted a breakfast briefing on how best to "Driving Funding into UK Housing." 

 

Labour is targeting both the delivery of 1.5m new homes and a dramatic increase in the delivery of social housing. Panellist Guy Slocombe, chief investment officer, The Hyde Group highlighted the value of social tenancy research which shows the social homes we provide generate economic growth and save public services, like the NHS, millions of pounds a year.

 

Each year, our social homes deliver: 

• £110.5m at least in savings to the NHS
• £217.9m at least in economic benefits 
• £45.6m at least in savings to local councils. 

DESNZ announced a new council retrofit scheme and Wave 3 of rebranded SHDF. The third wave of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) and a new local authority retrofit scheme will be opening for applications shortly, the government has announced.

Both schemes, respectively renamed Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant, will provide funding to registered providers and councils to tackle fuel poverty and improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

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Tom Copley told Inside Housing at the Labour Party Conference that the Greater London Authority (GLA) is currently exploring sites to develop with public and private sector partners.

The deputy mayor added that he believes the housing sector is “crying out” for more risk sharing to accelerate development.

“The City Hall developer is going to be delivered in several phases,” Mr Copley said.

“At the moment, what we’re concentrating on is looking at joint ventures with public or private sector, and then looking as well at what we can do around land assembly, buying land and things like that.”

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Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised to house all veterans, young care leavers and victims of domestic abuse, and introduce a duty of candour law to parliament before April next year.

“Homes will be there for heroes,” he added. “They will have the security they deserve. They will have a roof over their head because Britain belongs to them.”

Sir Keir also pledged to introduce a legal duty of candour on public bodies.

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Angela Rayner used her opening speech at the Labour Party Conference to announce a new cladding remediation plan and accountability to deliver ‘faster repairs and complaints.’

At the conference, the housing secretary said: “We will also ensure social housing staff have the right skills and experience. And I will ensure 2.5 million housing association tenants in this country can hold their landlord to account for their high-quality services and homes – so that repairs and complaints are handled faster, but more importantly, so social housing tenants are treated fairly.”

 

Be part of the conversation, join us at the Housing 2025 Leadership Symposium; The only place for the UK housing and wider living sector to come together to innovate, invest and influence. A crucial platform for senior housing professionals to discuss securing the investment that is so desperately needed, and to look at what kind of partnerships are likely to be most effective to deliver new homes and thriving communities.